Rangers land Panarin on reported 7-year, $81.5M contract

Breadman is headed to Broadway.

The New York Rangers have signed free-agent superstar Artemi Panarin, the club announced Monday. The contract is for seven years and worth $81.5 million, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.

With a reported average annual value of $11.642 million, Panarin is now the second-highest-paid player in the league after Connor McDavid.

Panarin, one of the most coveted free agents on the market, joins the Rangers after two seasons with the Columbus Blue Jackets. He notched 28 goals and registered a career-high 87 points in 79 games this past campaign and added five goals and 11 points in 10 playoff contests.

After going undrafted, Panarin began his career in the KHL before signing a two-year deal with the Chicago Blackhawks prior to the 2015-16 campaign. He made an immediate impact in the Windy City, tallying 30 goals and 77 points during his first season to win the Calder Trophy as the league's top rookie.

Columbus acquired Panarin in June 2017 in a five-player trade with Chicago that sent Brandon Saad to the Blackhawks. The 27-year-old has never recorded fewer than 74 points during any of his four NHL seasons and has been essentially a point-per-game scorer, totaling 320 points in 322 career appearances.

His addition to the Rangers puts a bow on a gigantic offseason for New York, which has already added Jacob Trouba and Adam Fox via trades and drafted Finnish phenom Kaapo Kakko second overall.

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